Washed Away

[Caid Centurion]

Temple City, Corstris
Two Hours Earlier

A familiar pair of silver-green eyes probed the velvet darkness that surrounded the mountainous region of Temple City. Caid had only been here once or twice in his past. The entire city had been created by his father as some sort of useless monument to the days of old. In fact, the entire planet of Corstris had been the man's attempt to create his own perfect society. Once upon a time, Cameron Centurion had shunned all notions of love and dedication. In fact, he had viewed any top of purely emotional attachment as outright weak and useless. That reality made the information Caid had uncovered about the man...all the more ironic.

"Mi'lord, all of the charges have been placed."

Caid's large frame did not move. Instead, the young Sith Lord kept his gaze leveled on the various structures of the city. Since arriving on Corstris from Endelaan some weeks prior, Caid had set his mind to the often menial task of arranging for his father's rather impressive collection of souvenirs, weapons, and training materials to be transported back to Endelaan. It seemed that Cameron Centurion had been storing the spoils of his entire life within various vaults on Corstris. The elements of Shadow Force that remained behind and loyal to the Centurion blood line played a rather large role in affecting the shipment.

"You know what to do, Captain."

There was no response, merely the sound of a single blaster firing multiple shots in rapid succession. A few declarations of shock could be heard before all went quiet once more. The Captain, as previously instructed, had executed the men that had been brought to Temple City. With that down, the Captain withdrew a detonator from his pocket, tapped in an authorization sequence, and stood silently. Seconds later, a series of explosions rang out, shattering the tranquil darkness of the night sky.

As soon as the first fireball manifested, Caid turned his back to the fireworks and proceeded towards his waiting Infiltrator. The Captain started to follow, but Caid made a motion with two fingers, snapping the man's neck. The Captain's lifeless body hit the ground just as the Sith Lord was stepping up the loading ramp to his vessel.

Similar fates had befallen all of the remaining cities and structures around Corstris that very evening. A single surviving officer from each assignment would return to the Corstris Palace, four in total, to receive further instructions.

Corstris Palace
Present

The blood-red blade of Caid's newly crafted lightsaber retracted silently into the hilt. The lightsaber that had originally been created by Cameron Centurion so long ago remained with the holocron the man had constructed during the final years of his life. It would be the only family heirloom that he maintained. After all, that lightsaber had an impressive history. Regardless of the nature of Cameron's passing, he had indeed accomplished great things in his long life.

Turning from the bodies of the four captains that had arrived only a few minutes earlier, Caid shrugged off the black and silver cloak that denoted the House of Centurion. That House, for all intents and purposes, would now die. The ashes of Cameron Centurion's legacy, however, would be reforged into something new.

After tossing the cloak into a nearby fireplace, Caid made his way towards the rear of the estate. In the morning, he would leave Corstris and what little remained of its population behind. With poisoned water supplies, destroyed homes, and no elements of Cameron Centurion to deliver them from the dark ages, the people of Corstris would devolve into a prehistoric state all their own. Caid had neither reason nor inclination to busy himself with the task of mass genocide.

After all, there was no reason to rush them to the grave. They might yet find a way to survie, to endure. The lesson, after all, was in the journey.

[member="Anesia Jy'Vun"]

 

[Anesia Jy'Vun]

Unknown Territory
Time Indeterminate


From the inky ether- the vast tendrils of The Force reached to her and like a ghost from the past, it haunted every dream for days. To Wild Space and further still, far from the Galaxy known it had struck, startling the Master, rousing her from her sleep night after night. It was as if she were swimming through clipped holovids, reaching but never able to hold still long enough to grasp, to see. It all slipped through her milky fingers, just skimming past her manicured nails. Sweat dotted the silken arch of her raven brows, stretching to glisten upon her slumbering, pale canvas.The perspiration gave her skin a dewy, ethereal glow in the soft blanket space offered the small cabin through its window.There were times Anesia thrashed or cried- screamed and the sounds echoed through the ship so that she was constantly surrounded by her own terror and her lean form was animated with it. Anesia dismissed it as nothing more than surviving the unfamiliar. The dream persisted though and began to feel an urgent call past the twilight.


Upon the loss of familiarity to something new and exciting, came the loss of time. Though time was neither here nor there- but existed only as measurement for the sentient of the Galaxy- it merely was. Having been swallowed into the maw of uncharted space, Anesia believed the distance or the strength of the beast mimicking that of a black hole (at least by appearance and gravitational pull) severed her connections to those closest to her. Or so Jy'Vun had thought until those dreams began, never relenting. Never releasing her, nor offering satisfaction. The monster stirred in her and it had to KNOW.

It was unknown to her how long of an absence it had been, nor the time it had taken to be acquainted with the sight of versed stars.The woman had reached then, deft digits placing themselves upon the viewport until her palm was flush. Her eyes, those swirling depths of emerald, were rivered with red and kindly swollen, the Galaxy reflected in them. It was in that instant breach from foreign to domestic that she felt a POP and the Force was more vivid, the visions throwing her back into the pilot’s seat. The pain from sore, widened gems tore through her, unable to blink as the feeding of memories and information was too vast; as if a damn was let loose.

With an audible gasp, air was sucked against pearly whites when her mouth snapped shut, forcing back a scream. Anesia swallowed, vying for control, but it felt like someone had blew an airlock aboard a ship infested with flames. Finally, after what had seemed hours, the Master stilled against the metaphorical bondage, finally casting her pale lids down.

Enough.

The process of separating information came almost instantly thereafter and the former General of The Confederacy sunk in her chair, connecting the timeline. In this moment, there was not a tenting of hands, a guarded gaze, or the air that perfumed of a plot. There was intrigue and against better judgement, the Sith Master left her signature to be a beacon rather than the ghost it had been.

Coordinates were then set to a place lost to time. A place very few could recant.

Corstris.


[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Anesia Jy'Vun]

Corstris Atmosphere
Weeks from the Nebular Abyss



The ship hung in the halo of the planet's pull and the Master took moments to bask in the pale exotic glow. It had been decades... no, centuries. There was a quiet in her gaze, an intimate knowledge swimming in the depths of viridian, the specks of violet barely present. The landscape had been as lush as his lips, the forest deep as his resonate tone and providential life- there upon Corstris, the seed of his ancient mind had crafted a world all his own. Anesia let a breath pass betwixt her barely parted pout while a memory came, clouding her view and her soot lashes fluttered and closed. The crown of dark russet canted as she fell to a different time, allowing his power to drink her down and then replenish as only a beast’s could.

The Sith Master pulled in the scent, it having been conjured from cognizance.

Cameron.

When her eyes were revealed again, the amaranthine had swallowed the jungle. It had never been about love for Centurion and Jy’Vun. It had been about passion, respect, power...desire and her frame stiffened, chin jutting forward in rebellion at the loss. Tears welled, a few spilling and burning down the sharp lines of her cheeks. Anesia Jy’Vun grieved for very few and the loss of Cameron had cemented one thing: she was the last of them.

This stirred in her a different type of resolve. Without bothering to wipe the tears, her deft fingers moved over the controls methodically, motioning the nose of the ship to dive into Corstris’ atmosphere and dip into its smoldering skyline. The smoke, while not foreseen, offered a cover when the sleek metal body disappeared amongst the trees. Her presence, nevertheless, was still as visible as the fires licking structures in the distance.

A low hiss and whine rang about the trees, warning them of the ramp that fell softly shortly after. The soles of her boots made no sound as she exited the ship, however, and after a few steps, Anesia met with solid ground for the first time that was indeterminate to even her-- The Master’s very liquid gaze moved in the direction of the Estate, sweeping the area as her hand moved to grace a single hilt decorated upon her person. There was something familiar here, but lost to her all the same. It was that intrigue that pushed her forward.


[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

With the majority of the planetary defenses destroyed and most of the surface bathed in smoldering ashes, there was no...conventional alert to the arrival of a new vessel in orbit. It hadn't really been something Caid concerned himself with simply because Corstris was such an enigma within the galaxy. In fact, it did not even show up on any galactic map on record despite its proximity to his own homeworld of Dathomir.

As the young Sith finished loading two simple duffel bags onboard the Nightstalker, something brushed at the edge of his consciousness. It didn't seem particularly familiar in that moment, but by the time the new arrival had reached the atmosphere, the presence swelled to such a proportion that the air around him seemed to thicken. Narrowing his bright gaze, Caid stepped down the loading ramp back to the manicured grass of the estate.

Casting his gaze skyward, a sudden gust of wind assaulted his upper torso which was adorned only in a fitted, long-sleeve thermal. A chill crept up his spine, but it was not to be attributed to any form of weather pattern. By now, Caid could plainly tell that the presence was rapidly approaching his own location. Exhaling heavily, Caid rolled his eyes and proceeded back inside the estate. The simple matte black hilt of his lightsaber hung casually by Caid's side as he proceeded towards the front entrance.

Motioning open the heavy cedar doors, Caid sniffed at the different smell clinging to the air. Silver-green eyes finally came to rest on a form that scratched at familiarity somewhere in the recesses of his mind. That, however, was not the most noticeable aspect of the unexpected guest. Instead it was the curiously sweet sensation her very presence seemed to waft through the area. Yet the sweetness carried with it a certain underlying sense of danger, like a Siren's call luring a man to his impending doom.

Great.

Stopping some one hundred meters short of the feminine figure, Caid allowed his gaze to roam the length of her silhouette before he spoke. "I would say I don't want whatever you're selling..." Caid paused only long enough to clasp his hands behind his back, a smirk that [member="Anesia Jy'Vun"] would be all too acquainted with adorning his features. "...but I'm not sure it would be an accurate statement. Is there something I can do for you?"

 

[Anesia Jy'Vun]

Though short, the excursion through the low, thick smoke cautioned against the Master's stride and she slowed nearest to the forests' perimeter. It was as if the remnant of the fire spoke to her with those gray-white wisps and spilled the secrets from where they first rose and by what command. The time had been transient and soon the landscaped clearing appeared- but it was the ambience, the heady spice of power that cause her to still, black-booted feet coming to a halt. A tree trunk held her weight for a moment longer as the wind stirred about the soot and ashes, the leaves and scents until it concocted an essence. If fire, if cleansing had a smell, Corstris owned it.

He was close. She could taste it.

The gust furled around the nape and along the exposed flesh of her neck, playing with the waves of her long, dark hair. It was a phantom feeling that caressed the open collar of Anesia’s deep gray flight suit. and upon surrendering herself to the open expanse of lawn, the russett-black strands whipped across her face. Her sure footing continued a dozen or so paces and she squinted with those violets of hers. The image of [member="Caid Centurion"] finally started to take shape and with each step forward the details were revealed. Though the near mountain of a man stopped, Anesia continued and skated the line of safety. Of whose, that was uncertain.

Movement was easier in the low grass- the stomp having turned into more of a confident stroll, albeit predatory. “What can you do for me…” Anesia recanted in her honey-rich tone, the words fondling her tongue like the tasting of wine, considering its body. From under her lashes, peeked the amaranthine- his familial smirk having not gone unnoticed, nor the lines of his larger frame as her gaze metaphorically walked up the length of it.

This place was familiar… this man...

The violet pools lingered on the slight curve of his lips. It was not until then that her eyes flicked to his own, a replica of Cameron’s. Anesia had no intention of stopping until she had taken up his space and then suddenly she ceased movement, steering herself into that of reality, precious meters shy of his being.

 

[Caid Centurion]

The taller Sith's bright gaze remained fixed on the newcomer as she approached, stalked towards his position. For his part, Caid maintained an amused expression on his face for perhaps a moment. The gradual reduction of distance between them gave the Sith time to appreciate the site he was presented with. Caid did not simply do this through simple visual evaluation. Instead, he stretched out with his feelings, allowing the full weight of his presence to roll over the newcomer's body.

His senses melted into the Force, probing every element of the woman's existence even as she took her time evaluating him in kind. The Dathomir native allowed the silent exchange to continue in that matter for another few minutes. Given what Caid knew of Corstris and the world his father had built upon its surface, he knew this woman had to be connected to him in some way. Caid was positive it had been a...fruitful relationship. "Cameron is not here," were the words that left Caid's lips as he turned to retreat in the direction he had come.

[member="Anesia Jy'Vun"]

 

[Anesia Jy'Vun]

He is, the Sith reflected in an internal capacity. However, that lesson was not hers to teach. Instead, Anesia responded candidly, "I am not here for Cameron." There was but a twitch to her fingers that could have been mistaken for nerves, but the solid cedar doors of the Centurion Estate closed with a thick click. One such sound that should not been able to be heard easily through the howl of the wind and smoke, but it had. The primordial Master's power was slower to penetrate, patient in it’s pull for the nectar it sought. There was no push, it merely flowed with the Force surrounding them in the abyssal intimacy of the Darkside.

Anesia had not been on the side of brazen in quite some time. The act revealed far too much, far too soon. However, there had been occasions where her hand had been forced. Those affairs had been absinthal… This, the Darkness surmised, could tip to either side of the scale.

The ashes and soot still fell in flakes and if not for the near-black hue, it could have been confused for snow. It made the clearing appear as carpet leading to the sprawling entrance to the mass abode. Ferrius' arm lifted, the palm opening to collect the confetti of devastation. That had been the first deviation, pulling her gaze from [member="Caid Centurion"]. Why stare? Perhaps it was marveling? Or acquainting one’s self with the natural movement of what was most certainly a predator? Molten gems then cast to the sky, deciding the answer was both.

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid exhaled softly with an exaggerated eye-roll at the little 'display'. It was cute. Slowly, the Sith raised his left arm. The motion wasn't menacing, and it was not accompanied any other particularly noteworthy body movement. He could have been merely prepared to wipe soot and ash from the fabric of his shirt, or he could have been in the process of collapsing open the door which would, ultimately, be destroyed in a matter of minutes anyways.

However, none of that was true. The movement of Caid's arm stopped once his hand was in the necessary proximity to his face. With two fingers, he pinched the bridge of his nose in mild irritation. Turning around once more, Caid slowly lowered his hand. Managing a completely false smile, Caid nodded his head slightly. "Mk, I'll bite. What, pray tell, can I do you for?"

As his words drifted through the air, Caid took a seat in the soft grass. Closing his eyes, he permitted himself the appearance of tranquility. Silent orders were dispatched to the vessels in orbit to depart for the first rendezvous point, he was going to be delayed. The Sith may as well get something out of this casual intrusion. Reaching into the ether of the Force, he allowed his conscious mind to enter a state similar to that of meditation.

[member="Anesia Jy'Vun"]

 

[Anesia Jy'Vun]

There in the sudden congealed silence...mischief. It glittered in her eyes, even when she answered his irritation with a droll stare of her own. In general, the theatrics were more amusing than not and Anesia offered but a quick chortle exclaiming that point. As much as this familiar stranger appeared his paternal prodigy, the Sith Master could not say for sure. [member="Caid Centurion"] surely looked the part- oh, but that was biased… based on something more primal than other, more important details.

Such things, like politics, were easy to drift away from when presented with an imminent gratifying distraction. Then, as if rousing herself from a shallow, artificial dream her pale digits reached, brushing the soot that had settled on his shoulder with a flick of manicured nails. There were only the precious, little comforts that mattered or moreover, were allowed. Anesia could give herself no more or no less. The Galaxy cared not about the wants or needs of the people and over time, the woman came to agree. There were but subtle differences.

“Dinner, to start,” it was not said in any form of her normal, buttery musings and nor was it branded a demand. The chaotic strife of a dying planet hardly seemed an appropriate setting for business or otherwise, even though the flames called to her, whispered her language of madness.

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid did not react to the woman's touch. Her words, however, caused him to raise an eyebrow. "Dinner? You show up here out of the blue...to ask me to dinner?" Inhaling steadily, Caid allowed his silver-green gaze to pointedly glance around the area. "I don't know if you've noticed..." Eventually, his gaze settled back on Anesia. "...but now is probably not the time."

As if on cue, the Nightstalker engines could be heard from the rear of the estate as the vessel lifted into the air and lazily drifted over the top of the Corstris Palace. "As it stands, I have things to tend to." At this point, Caid still didn't even know who the woman was, so he wasn't exactly sure why he'd bother accepting a dinner invitation.

[member="Anesia Jy'Vun"]